Why Art is So Important To Me - Reflections from Clay Studio Member Jessica Bickford

Hands in mud… rhythm of process… fierce yet gentle… mistakes turned to learning opportunities…struggle then satisfaction … centered.. the joy of good form…worry – will it make it… mess upon mess, but my mess… and delight when the glaze runs just downright.. satisfaction leaving a clean studio and turning off the light.

In October I was able to return to my love of clay after a 14-year break. Life sometimes takes you in an opposite direction than one of your loves. It was worth it! In those years my kitchen became my studio much to the delight of everyone in my path. The return to clay is wonderful - a return to the earth and new levels of creativity in the River Arts Studio. This round with clay has been different. Most of my early experiences had been with hand-building -baking dishes, woven baskets, platters, and prismatic bowls that defied gravity with only a little dabbling at the wheel. This time, I decided to embrace the wheel and see what could be accomplished. I have a laid-back approach to pottery. I don’t set expectations high. I see each time in the studio as a gift and as either a time for quiet meditation or connection with my teen who sometimes joins me - discovering the joys and mastery of the clay for herself. Often the clay dictates what it will become. I read or think about form outside the studio, bringing the idea into my next time in. When something goes wonky, it gets played with and pushed to its limits until it caves. At that point, it’s then wedged or recycled into new possibilities. Each lump of clay represents a learning experience and opportunity to try something new.

My progress has not been all on my own. For Christmas, my parents gifted me a lesson. That one masked lesson changed so much! Lisa was able to look at my pieces and know what I might be able to improve on. She centered the lesson on feet. Which makes sense – our feet are so important – why should the feet of a piece be different? This new skill in trimming changed my work drastically. For my daughter’s birthday, we gifted her a lesson. Heidi taught her many new skills and ways of doing things… things I look forward to now learning from Elli. The staff at River Arts are amazing, answering questions when I see them around the building. Sometimes a simple question answered will lead to new discoveries and skills on the next piece.

Creativity has been one of my joys during this time of Covid. The clay studio is my safe place outside of home, with a strict one household in the studio and physically distant policies for lessons. Even more, it’s lead to a freedom and deep joy that filters into other areas of life.

-Jessica Bickford, Clay Studio Member